A Cozy Camper for Two

Road Trip Day 7: Spokane - Bend

Yesterday, the journey began again. We finally got back in the car after what felt like a long break. It was surreal to be in the car again heading to our next destination. We were only in Spokane for 2 days, but it felt more like a week. We really don’t know what all we would have done if we’d stayed any longer.

Before we officially hit the road, though, we met up with Grant and Catelyn for one last meal. Clark’s Fork was a nice little spot near Gonzaga and they had a scrumptious cinnamon roll french toast. Tay claims it's one of the best french toasts she's ever had!

After getting a coffee to-go and saying our goodbyes, we hit the road for Bend.

Our first stop was only an hour and a half down the highway, followed by a 15 minute bumpy dirt path. 

We couldn’t believe it; the landscape out there was beautiful! For the first bit of the drive, we were next to the winding Columbia river (I think?) and it was gorgeous! 

After the river we were welcomed into wide open rolling hills. We had that beautiful scenery for the next hour before our first stop at Palouse Falls State Park. 

That’s what surprised us most, though. We had been driving in the vastness of rolling farmland for so long. How could there possibly be a waterfall out there?

Alas, to our surprise it was true! A massive 200 foot waterfall pouring from the Palouse river! It was so magnificent to stop and watch. It’s inspired us to try and see all the waterfalls in the US in our lifetime.

We didn’t get to hike down to it (the ranger said it takes between 2 hours and all day to hike down) because we still had another 5 hours to go and it was getting late.

Not to worry, though, that was not the last time we’d see that water. The Palouse river runs into Snake river, which in turn runs back into the Columbia river. Lucky for us, once we entered Oregon we got to drive next to the amazing Columbia river some more!

We stopped for gas somewhere in Oregon, which was lucky because the next stretch had a warning sign before you entered saying the next gas station was about 100 miles away!

The next 100 miles were through winding roads on yet again the beautiful farm/mountainous landscape. It’s hard to explain really what it was, but it was sheer raw beautiful land; a rarity in the southeast. 

Along the way, we listened to a good bit of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. 

Eventually, we made our way into our final destination for the night, Bend.

The main thing that brought us into Bend is the very last Blockbuster on earth! We plan to visit later this morning and rent a movie for tonight, and we are beyond excited to revisit the nostalgic store!

However, as we drove into Bend we realized that it’s a very special place! Lots of cool little restaurants, delicious coffee, and apparently insanely expensive real estate. Like a 3 bedroom, 2 bath for $800K!

We thought it was going to be a small town like Missoula with nothing other than the last Blockbuster.

However, a quick google search and we found out we are actually minutes from some of the best skiing in Oregon, amazing hiking in the mountains, beautiful lakes to the east of us, to the south are some desert regions, and then the Pacific coast is only 3 hours away. 

To sum up, if you live in Bend, you have access to everything including Blockbuster and Chickfila.

Bend, we learned, closes early on Sundays, which is pretty cool. However, we were also a bit hungry.

We did find this really cute little “park” (I guess you’d call it) with several food trucks.

Now, the people and culture of Bend from what we’ve learned are really chill, laid back, and also a little strange. Let’s see if I can paint a picture.

• First of all, our airbnb is a pristine renovated camper! We love it and can’t wait to own something like it! It is perfect for us, but it is a little strange that the nice airbnb in Bend is a camper.

• Second, the food truck we ate at specialized in corndogs (which were amazing) and served CBD soda (which we didn’t try, but they had it).

• Third, when we got to the food truck an older man’s food was ready right when we were about to order. He was a shorter, eldery man with white hair. The buzzer they give out to tell you your food is ready gives out a little beep every second or so. The old man walks up with the beeper and starts dancing to the beeps. Then he hands the beeper back to the guy in the truck and says these exact words in a giddy voice: “Reminds me of the days in the asylum.” He takes his hotdog and walks away chuckling.

This is the kind of town we’re in. 

We love the camper, though. It’s actually very cozy and has everything we’d need. It’s like God telling us this is what we’ve been called to do.

As I reflect on the journey yesterday, it’s crazy how much happened in one little day. We woke up in a hotel in Spokane and ended it with corndogs, a crazy old man, and a cozy camper in Bend, Oregon.

It makes me excited that I get to do this with the greatest travel partner ever! It makes us so excited for all the many adventures the Lord has in store for us. It also makes us excited to continue seeking and growing in the Lord each day so He can best equip us to be a light for Him and spread the gospel everywhere we go!